Write a profile of an artist (CARMEN MIRANDA), using your original research drawn from the course reading library, the textbook, notes from class discussion, and any other resources available to you.
This profile should not merely be a biography but illuminate aspects of the artist’s overall musical personality and creative activity, i.e. include references to his/her/their performances and/or compositions and where such activities fit on the timeline of Brazilian music’s trajectory.
Your paper must feature a more specific discussion of at least one actual piece/performance, with which you ideally should include at least some melodic/rhythmic/harmonic/form structural analysis and description of textural/orchestration properties (“the sound”) – at a level of detail that will be supportive in your characterization of your topic’s musical persona, artistic significance or perhaps historical positioning. Here would be the place for a transcription fragment, discussion of a tune’s harmony, commentary on a score, certain instrument-specific observations, remarks on aspects of the artist’s performance practice, perhaps your personal playing experience with the piece, etc.
WRITE ABOUT THESE 3 SONGS AND FIND PERFORMANCES OF IT ON YOUTUBE AND DESCRIBE THEM IN DETAIL!
-Chica Chica Boom Chic
-Rebola a Bola – 1941
-Tico Tico
Your choice of tune needs to have one of the Brazilian grooves we discussed in class – modinha, maxixe, choro, march, samba, partido alto, bossa, baião, xote, galope, ijexá, samba-reggae, frevo or maracatu, even if influenced/fused with another style that is not Brazilian (jazz, rock, funk, hip-hop, etc.). Aside from the objective discussion of the artist please indicate what interested or drew you to this choice, i.e. the personal dimension this artist’s work may have for you.
Make sure to clearly state the recording and the album you used in your essay. Indicate if the tune is in the playlist (and which one)
Make sure to check and list all composers, lyricists, and arrangers (see note on next sentence) and talk about them as well as the interpreter (if different than the composer). Often ignored, the arranger (if different than the composer), is as an important contributor to the final track as the composers.
Other important guidelines:
Overall length should be ~ 5-6 pages with a minimum of 1,600 words (Title font 16, text font 12, 1.5 spacing, not including any notation samples or bibliography). Think quality, not quantity.
Please ensure that all sources used for research are properly credited, either through basic footnotes/endnotes or by citing the reference authors directly in the text, especially when using specific quotations.
Use sources beyond class slides, including at least one scholarly text. Diversify your research.
All assignments must be written in Word documents and sent through the UPLOAD button.
Please note that the Turnitin app will be used to check essays for similarity detection and plagiarism using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Any instances of plagiarism or use of AI will result in a grade of ZERO.
